Prince William is the celebrity with the most power to pursuade the British public to donate to charity, according to a new survey.

With 27 per cent of those questioned saying that he would persuade them to give to charity, the prince topped a YouGov poll commissioned by the Oxfam 100 per cent giving campaign. 

Lord Alan Sugar came second, followed by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and footballer David Beckham. Cheryl Cole is the most influential female celebrity, coming in fifth place overall.

The survey also discovered that trustworthiness and good judgement were the traits that people look for when deciding whether to act on a celebrity endorsement.

Getting the right celebrity endorsement is increasingly important as 86 per cent of those surveyed said that they are not influenced by hard-hitting advertisements.